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Is the practice of feeding animals dirty waste products the potential cause of millions of pig deaths in the United States? Some chilling clues.

In recent months, millions of baby pigs have died from Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) in the United States. The head of the World Organization for Animal Health told Fox News: (bold added)

“the spread of the virus was likely mainly due to a lack of hygienic precautions, notably disinfecting trucks entering and leaving farms, but was also potentially linked to feed.”

“The European Union approved new rules this month aimed at limiting the spread of the virus, notably for pig blood products imported into the 28-member bloc, highlighting the risk of animal feed products as a potential transmission agent.”

“There are high suspicions about these blood products which have been incorporated in feed and this is why Europe took it into account in its precaution measures,” Vallat said.

“Pig blood products are dehydrated and mixed with grain into feed, which is then given to piglets, he said, but added he was surprised the dehydration process did not kill the virus.”

How many animals need to die before someone of regulatory authority realizes that pigs shouldn’t be fed pig blood, cattle shouldn’t be fed chicken @$%#, and pets shouldn’t be fed diseased or euthanized animal waste?

I vividly remember my first AAFCO meeting when the discussion was what to name a new ingredient “that the public will buy” made of expired Walmart Hot Pockets. I kid you not. And that is a piece of cake compared to feeding baby pigs pig blood and chicken @#$% wrapped up into cattle feed. Can no regulatory authority see the future of this?

We might be seeing the future of feeding animals waste right now in pigs.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency seems to be stating the livestock feed is the link to a Mad Cow confirmed case in Alberta, Canada. The very same type of feed grade ingredients (possibly the exact same) used in pet food.

18 comments

All of the nasty items mentioned in this commentary don’t surprise me considering the degree of ambivalence of our elected representatives and the so-called ‘regulatory’ food & grain agencies. What do all of you think about an organized campaign to flood the email boxes of our state & federal politicians with citizen-action demands for real food & grain regulations, testing, and certifications that truly protect our pets and domesticated animals. Best regards to all who continue to fight the good fight

And something very sad – at the numerous AAFCO meetings I’ve attended, there is not one person there advocating for the safe and healthy feed to our livestock animals. I’ve tried to recruit assistance for these animals – no luck thus far.

What seems true and especially sad is that people won’t do anything or get involved in any way if the issue does not affect them. “It’s not my problem.” Not until it hits them in the pocket book or a family member…

I think this dehydrated blood is actually also used as an ingredient in Nature’s Logic dog food, which I believe has signed your Pledge and/or made it onto the List? I would be interested to get their response to the current story, if you have at Nature’s Logic…. Quoting from their website “No life exists without blood, and the nutrients it provides to carnivorous animals are essential. Carnivores in the wild routinely consume the blood of prey animals. The animal blood is as natural a part of a carnivore’s diet as the meat and bone consumed from prey. It is an important natural food ingredient. Plasma supplies iron, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, numerous vitamins, and over 18 amino acids. These nutrients found naturally in animal blood plasma play a large role in creating a safer and more natural diet for pets. The inclusion of porcine plasma is one reason Nature’s Logic® does NOT need to add any chemically-synthesized vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients to our formulas.”

That’s a good question Ian – I will send to Nature’s Logic. One big difference off the top is that the pork plasma in the pet food is not being consumed by pigs (pigs consuming pig blood). I’ll post when I get a explanation from NL.

Actually very little blood goes into pig diets it is mostly plasma and several government agencies have looked for a link to feed and have not been able to find one. PEDv travels great distances in the wind. Maybe you should try to be less sensational and more factual across the board.

JDD – did you read the Fox News article? I didn’t make the link of PEDv to animal feed and even more specific the plasma/blood in the animal feed – the World Organization for Animal Health did. And it seems so did the EU.

JDD,
Susan Thixton hasn’t got a “sensational” bone in her body! She spends countless hours researching the facts and reporting same. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as she does to ensure that what she communicates is, indeed, THE TRUTH! Your ridiculous accusation was offensive and totally uncalled for.

No – there are no such laws. The only slight exception is feeding cow to cow (ruminants) – this is because of fear of spreading Mad Cow Disease. If I’m wrong on this – please provide links to the laws.

I go to AAFCO meetings (have for a few years now) and am an advisor to the Ingredient Definitions Committee and the Pet Food Committee. You’d probably be shocked at what really is allowed into all animal feed. Here are some of the Compliance Policies of FDA that allow…
CPG Sec. 690.300 Canned Pet Food
Pet food consisting of material from diseased animals or animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter, which is in violation of 402(a)(5) will not ordinarily be actionable, if it is not otherwise in violation of the law. It will be considered fit for animal consumption.http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074710.htm

CPG Sec. 675.200 Diversion of Adulterated Food to Acceptable Animal Feed Use
Diversion requests will be handled on an ad hoc basis. The *Center* will consider the requests for diversion of food considered adulterated for human use in all situations where the diverted food will be acceptable for its intended animal food use. Such situations may include:

a. Pesticide contamination in excess of the permitted tolerance or action level.
b. Pesticide contamination where the pesticide involved is unapproved for use on a food or feed commodity.
c. Contamination by industrial chemicals.
d. Contamination by natural toxicants.
e. Contamination by filth.
f. Microbiological contamination.
g. Over tolerance or unpermitted drug residues.http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074694.htm

This was about a ‘meat meal’ ingredient. I raised such a stink about it at the time, it never went anywhere as far as approving the definition. This was (guessing) about four years ago. The definition has yet to be approved.

“CPG Sec. 675.200 Diversion of Adulterated Food to Acceptable Animal Feed Use
Diversion requests will be handled on an ad hoc basis. The *Center* will consider the requests for diversion of food considered adulterated for human use in all situations where the diverted food will be acceptable for its intended animal food use. Such situations may include:

a. Pesticide contamination in excess of the permitted tolerance or action level.
b. Pesticide contamination where the pesticide involved is unapproved for use on a food or feed commodity.
c. Contamination by industrial chemicals.
d. Contamination by natural toxicants.
e. Contamination by filth.
f. Microbiological contamination.
g. Over tolerance or unpermitted drug residues.http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074694.htm”

I don’t understand the application of the word “diversion” in this case. Are they saying that the list defines what is acceptable for feed/pet food? Sorry, could you break this down for me please when you’ve a moment?

It’s my understanding that human food that is no longer acceptable to be sold as human food due to contamination by pesticides, industrial chemicals, natural toxicants, filth… can be diverted to animal food (instead of destroying these foods). This compliance policy is about salvage – salvaging foods that probably should be destroyed. So the diversion would be a human food seller or manufacturer or human food ingredient seller that has a contaminated food can ‘divert’ that food to animal feed instead of destroying it.

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TruthaboutPetFood.com's author is a founding partner of the international pet food consumer association - Association for Truth in Pet Food. Through our consumer association, Susan has advisory position to AAFCO's Pet Food Committee and Ingredient Definitions Committee.

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